LCD TV + 5.1 Setup

[gujuguy007]

Ok experts. I have about $6000-$7000 to spend on a 50" LCD plus a 5.1 audio system. I recently bought a house and have 4 holes made in the wall for speakers (2 front, 2 rear) with audio cables running behind the wall. I plan to place the TV above my fireplace. The room is about 25 x 25. Now all I need to do is buy the equipment. I don't know much about what's good, but would like to hear everybody's opinion on what will sound/look good within my price range. I'm looking for suggestions on a TV, receiver, and speakers.

 

[MustISO]

I'd recommend spending some time on the Home Theater Sites to become familiar with what's out there and any issues with some of the products you may be considering. Are you looking for in-wall speakers, on-wall speakers? Do you plan to get a Blu-Ray HD player?

You should go to some audio/video stores to see what's out there and what you like to try and narrow down your list. You'll have a lot of options in your price range.

For TV's:

Samsung LN-T5271F
Sony KDL-52XBR4
Sony KDL-52XBR5
Samsung LN-T5781F
Toshiba 52LX177

Receiver:
Denon AVR-1908
Yamaha RX-V861

 

[YOyoYOhowsDAjello]

Did you take a look at my sticky thread at all for the audio end of things?

I don't have much experience with in-wall speakers if that's what you're going with, but the stuff I went over in the thread about auditioning, matching your front three speakers, subwoofer choices, etc. is all going to hold true.

Generally above a fireplace isn't the greatest place to put a TV since it will probably end up higher up on the wall than you'd want it to be... but of course that's probably the most aesthetically pleasing place to put it in the room.

 

[krotchy]

Look at the Toshiba 52XF550 with the super narrow bezel, it replaces the LX177 and the early reviews have been great at AVSforum (where everyone seems to hate everything ). It has one of the best 120Hz implementations I have seen, probably because Toshiba is a chip maker and has experience with DSPs and the like. Also the amount of control you have over all the picture settings on this TV is better than pretty much any manufacturer gives you access too, so if you have it calibrated or try to yourself you can really tweak it great. Also this has a Matte screen which I tend to prefer.

Also the Samsung 6 Series just came out and replaces the 71 series, so check that out too. No word on weather the Samsung 120Hz Triple ball effect bugs have been fixed, but the panel boasts a higher contrast and faster response time than the 71 series. The image on these is fantastic like the Toshiba as well, but it does have a glossy screen, which can be a problem for watching TV if you have a bright room in the afternoons, though actually looks better in the dark. Depending on your room/habits this might not be a concern.

The 81 series is something I would avoid for now as the TV really isn't nearly worth the price increase, especially considering it isn't 120Hz. LG will be releasing an LED competitor to the 81 soon and it will be 120Hz, and Samsung is releasing the 9 series replacement for the 81 in the fall, so its a bit of a ways off for a refresh in the LED category.

As far as the XBR4/5's go, the XBR6/7 replacements havent been officially announced yet, but they won't appear until the fall. However the Z series should be out relatively soon, and it upgrades everything over the XBR4/5, so thats worth looking into.

For receivers, Denon and Onkyo are great choices IMO. Also Pioneer and Yamaha have some pretty nice choices as well. I find theres alot of trade offs when it comes to selecting one, so it might be worth figuring out what your "must haves" are and then we might help narrow down further what you need.

My personal setup with that big of a budget would be:
Toshiba 52XF550 ($2500)
Onkyo TX-NR905 ($1700)
Leaving me:
$1000 for a Subwoofer (Id probably go with Hsu, Epic or eD here)
$1800 for speakers (which is above the range I have done any real research in)

That would be a pretty amazing setup IMO.


As far as above the fireplace goes, I agree with Yoyo. I have my TV up there, and while it looks fantastic off, while it is a bit annoying watching with more than 2 people. The most comfortable way to watch is with 1 person on each couch max because they kinda need to lay down so their head is looking up at the TV more comfortably. Once I move the 47" LCD thats up there into the bedroom and get something bigger Im moving it down and re-arranging some things.

 

[Operandi]

I'm only going to comment on the "speakers" aspect. If your fairly handy with power tools and can follow an electrical diagram I'm going to suggest you take a look at the the DIY approach, it's not as hard as you may first think.

I've been spending a lot of time on the DIY section of the HTguide forums. The Modula MT is very highly regarded by everyone thats heard it. VS. retail you would probably have to spend the better part of your $7,000 budget to rival their performance. Here is a link to the version you would want to build for in walls, you can see some build, and implementation pics in the 2nd page.